Tuluk is Broken: Dark Sun Origins
Apr 22, 2015 18:46:42 GMT -5
delerak, nobody, and 12 more like this
Post by tedium on Apr 22, 2015 18:46:42 GMT -5
Background
Dark Sun is a D&D setting based on the premise that the barrier between planes is more resilient to penetration than in traditional D&D. As a result, only those who are born with an innate link (elementalists) and those who use life-force to pierce through (sorcerers) can cast magic. Life-force may be drawn from others or from yourself: Defilers and Preservers. The world has been rendered a wasteland by the genocide of several races to ascend a handful of Sorcerers to a Godlike state.
Due to campaign shenanigans and internal betrayal between these Sorcerers, their makeshift alliance was broken, the big bad was sealed away in a newly created plane of Void, and the Sorcerers claimed their own city-states over which they can rule as Gods. Each city-state has its own theme that reflects the personality and ruling style of its leader.
On Tuluk
Tuluk is a semi-original city-state not present in Dark Sun mythos. It has a number of components which, in Armageddon, are fairly unique to itself. These components are drawn from three separate city-states in Dark Sun lore: Gulg, Balic, and Raam.
(Balic) Disappearing dissenters
(Raam) Shadow Arts
(Raam) A Caste-based society
(Gulg) Relatively easy living
(Gulg) Bardic circle propaganda
(Gulg) The Cult of Utep Sun King
(Gulg) Semi-Egalitarian Chosen Nobles
On their own, each city state could be a viable locale in Armageddon and provide an exciting contrast to Allanak. By combining the individual parts into a single city state, the purpose of each is lost, the sources of conflict (and roleplay) are eliminated, and Utep loses any clear identity of who he is as a ruler. Because the cities are modeled after their rulers, if Utep has no identity then Tuluk has no identity.
On Gulg
Gulg's theme is Reverence or Worship. It is a forest-city made of wood, mud, and clay, where all citizens live relatively easy lives. Rain actually exists here, as the Sorcerer-Queen who rules seeks to spread the forest that surrounds the city. This is because she is seen by its inhabitants as a Goddess of Nature and Forest, and where the forest spreads, so does her domain. All Sorcerer-Kings claim to be Gods, but because their lives are so much better, the citizens of Gulg truly believe it. Her nobles are chosen from the populace, her Templars spread her faith, and bards sing her praises. Ultimately she is a Defiler and a narcissist who wants the adoration of others first and foremost, not a benevolent ruler. Her Templars will defile if it serves her name, because in the mind of her people, these are the blessings of the Goddess and she can take them back if she chooses.
Why it would work for Roleplay: First, there is a stark contrast between Gulg and Allanak owed to the relative prosperity, artistry, and equality of the former. Second, her religious cult would provide a means for external and internal conflict. Spies, bards, and zealots could infiltrate other locales or clans and, over time, attempt to persuade characters to join the faith by player initiative. Internally, Chosen Nobles mean that players who are zealous and talented enough may be Chosen by the Sorcerer Queen for a greater purpose. This gives players a very real reason to roleplay fanatics. Rooting out unbelievers is not done secretly by telepaths, but by good-old-fashioned witch-hunts and pogroms that involve the playerbase.
Why it doesn't work for Tuluk: Conversion is rendered moot by the true-inked caste system. Long-term internal dissent provides no RP because of Lirathan psionics, and short-term internal dissent provides no RP because players are killed quietly in a back room. Chosen Nobles aren't chosen anymore, and the nobles which are chosen have been removed. Utep claims to be the Sun King, not the Forest King, and the Sun never did any good except make people thirsty. This means there's absolutely no reason, IC or OOC, for players to app a zealot. Without any reason to Revere or Worship Utep the theme crumbles.
As a result, the net impact of Gulg on Tuluk comes down to easy hunting, skill twinking, and frilly bards.
On Balic
Balic's theme is Politics or Manipulation. It is a democratic city-state where the head of state rules for life. Balic's Sorcerer-King ran for election, won, then made himself immortal using magic. Rather than ban democracy outright, he allows it to continue in a farcical manner. Nobles are elected from the populace and serve terms. Those who oppose the Sorcerer-King of Balic tend to disappear. In a rather Nyr-like fashion, when people complain about the way the city-state is run, Balic's Sorcerer-King informs them that he was elected by their ancestors and that he allows them to elect Nobles if they truly feel that change is necessary.
Why it would work for Roleplay: Just like Gulg, the political environment would be a sharp contrast to brutal and blunt Allanak. Balic's Nobility is somewhat reminiscent of the way that the Byn chooses Sargents: chosen internally before staff does a role call. Those Nobles, chosen by the players, would navigate the demands of the staff-appointed Templars, the desires of the PCs who chose them, and the goals of rival Nobles chosen by players from other sections of the city. Do I really need to explain why this dynamic would provide roleplay for players of all stripes within the city?
Even if a noble disappears, there's no guarantee that it was the Templars who did it. It maybe a rival faction. Players within that faction may investigate the who and why to determine if another faction is screwing them over, or if their noble really did piss off the Templars. Roleplay is generated even in the event of a disappearance, and the disappearances themselves could be used by various player factions to further their agenda. EG, you could plant evidence using thieves/burglars that suggests a certain noble is acting against the Templars.
Why it doesn't work for Tuluk: In Balic, elected Nobles disappear for not obeying the Templars. In Tuluk, grebbers and hunters disappear for not properly worshiping Utep Sun King in their thoughts or background. No one cares about the latter because commoners disappear every single day by dying in the wilderness, storing due to boredom, or general inactivity. It goes completely unnoticed. No RP is generated because you never find out. If, somehow, you do find out, you can only act on that information if you leave Tuluk, otherwise you disappear too. It's entirely self-defeating.
As a result, the net impact of Balic on Tuluk is that those frolicking bards and skill twinks have nothing meaningful to put their efforts toward. Therefore they throw parties.
On Raam
Last is the city state of Raam whose theme is Rebellion, Anarchy, or Upheaval.
Raam is a caste-based society. A caste system is a hierarchical order of rigid social stratification. People from different castes do not eat together, they do not drink together, they do not intermarry, they are not friends, etc. With few exceptions they are born and die in the same caste. Castes are almost always based around profession and role in society.
Raam is also a city-state with no leader. When the Sorcerer-Queen was killed, the city fell into anarchy as factions formed to fill the power vacuum. Petty warlords claim small areas until someone stronger wipes them out. The Night Runners, a tribe of elves, sell their 'shadow arts' of espionage and assassination to various factions competing for the city. Meanwhile, they expand their own territory with the goal of making Raam the first Elven City in centuries.
Why it would work for Roleplay: Raam's caste system doesn't exist to be experienced, it exists to be fought against. Citizens may never again see another chance to rise above their station, and certainly never as high. There are abundant potential plotlines in the form of marginalized groups fighting for power, entitled groups fighting to keep power, and external groups fighting to siphon power amid the chaos. All of these are in complementary to the typical Arm roles of grebber trying to get by, spice-addled pickpocket, hunter with a heart of gold, etc.
Why it doesn't work for Tuluk: Not only does Tuluk implement the Caste system for the wrong reasons, it implements it incorrectly. Tuluk has three PC castes: Non-inked, citizens, and nobles/templars. Nobles/templars are role-call only and non-inked generally don't stay in the city for long. Worse yet, because of the egalitarian Chosen theme Tuluk borrows from Gulg, the nobles eat/drink with commoners. These factors render any conflict caused by the caste system impotent. There's very little to rebel against and no way of doing so. Worst yet, if you make up something to rebel over, you just get disappeared by the all-knowing Templars. Which means there's practically no use for Shadow Arts, either, except over petty nonsense.
As a result, the net impact of Raam on Tuluk is that frolicking bards hire the skill twinks to kill people who spoke poorly of the parties they threw.
On Allanak, and a Summary
Allanak has a single, straightforward theme: Brutality. It is hot and sandy, the wilderness is deadly, food is scarce, corruption is rampant, riots are frequent, and executions are messy public affairs. Everything about 'nak plays into the theme of Brutality, except for the relative ease of the upper classes. But those roles are heavily restricted to players and largely exist as a reminder of how brutal Allanak is for common folk. Often, they are the source of that cruelty.
Brutality is quintessential Dark Sun, and this is why Allanak is the core of Armageddon.
Tuluk attempts to combine three city-state themes that are as close to opposites as you can get: Reverence, Politics, and Rebellion. In doing so it creates a King and City-State with no true identity. It is simply a number of components that barely function together. Players who pursue any one thread eventually find themselves tangled and knotted where the themes come together, with nothing left to pursue, or cut short long before they reach that point.
All you're left with is a twink's paradise, Prom Night popularity contest roleplay, and a ton of unmet potential.
Dark Sun is a D&D setting based on the premise that the barrier between planes is more resilient to penetration than in traditional D&D. As a result, only those who are born with an innate link (elementalists) and those who use life-force to pierce through (sorcerers) can cast magic. Life-force may be drawn from others or from yourself: Defilers and Preservers. The world has been rendered a wasteland by the genocide of several races to ascend a handful of Sorcerers to a Godlike state.
Due to campaign shenanigans and internal betrayal between these Sorcerers, their makeshift alliance was broken, the big bad was sealed away in a newly created plane of Void, and the Sorcerers claimed their own city-states over which they can rule as Gods. Each city-state has its own theme that reflects the personality and ruling style of its leader.
On Tuluk
Tuluk is a semi-original city-state not present in Dark Sun mythos. It has a number of components which, in Armageddon, are fairly unique to itself. These components are drawn from three separate city-states in Dark Sun lore: Gulg, Balic, and Raam.
(Balic) Disappearing dissenters
(Raam) Shadow Arts
(Raam) A Caste-based society
(Gulg) Relatively easy living
(Gulg) Bardic circle propaganda
(Gulg) The Cult of Utep Sun King
(Gulg) Semi-Egalitarian Chosen Nobles
On their own, each city state could be a viable locale in Armageddon and provide an exciting contrast to Allanak. By combining the individual parts into a single city state, the purpose of each is lost, the sources of conflict (and roleplay) are eliminated, and Utep loses any clear identity of who he is as a ruler. Because the cities are modeled after their rulers, if Utep has no identity then Tuluk has no identity.
On Gulg
Gulg's theme is Reverence or Worship. It is a forest-city made of wood, mud, and clay, where all citizens live relatively easy lives. Rain actually exists here, as the Sorcerer-Queen who rules seeks to spread the forest that surrounds the city. This is because she is seen by its inhabitants as a Goddess of Nature and Forest, and where the forest spreads, so does her domain. All Sorcerer-Kings claim to be Gods, but because their lives are so much better, the citizens of Gulg truly believe it. Her nobles are chosen from the populace, her Templars spread her faith, and bards sing her praises. Ultimately she is a Defiler and a narcissist who wants the adoration of others first and foremost, not a benevolent ruler. Her Templars will defile if it serves her name, because in the mind of her people, these are the blessings of the Goddess and she can take them back if she chooses.
Why it would work for Roleplay: First, there is a stark contrast between Gulg and Allanak owed to the relative prosperity, artistry, and equality of the former. Second, her religious cult would provide a means for external and internal conflict. Spies, bards, and zealots could infiltrate other locales or clans and, over time, attempt to persuade characters to join the faith by player initiative. Internally, Chosen Nobles mean that players who are zealous and talented enough may be Chosen by the Sorcerer Queen for a greater purpose. This gives players a very real reason to roleplay fanatics. Rooting out unbelievers is not done secretly by telepaths, but by good-old-fashioned witch-hunts and pogroms that involve the playerbase.
Why it doesn't work for Tuluk: Conversion is rendered moot by the true-inked caste system. Long-term internal dissent provides no RP because of Lirathan psionics, and short-term internal dissent provides no RP because players are killed quietly in a back room. Chosen Nobles aren't chosen anymore, and the nobles which are chosen have been removed. Utep claims to be the Sun King, not the Forest King, and the Sun never did any good except make people thirsty. This means there's absolutely no reason, IC or OOC, for players to app a zealot. Without any reason to Revere or Worship Utep the theme crumbles.
As a result, the net impact of Gulg on Tuluk comes down to easy hunting, skill twinking, and frilly bards.
On Balic
Balic's theme is Politics or Manipulation. It is a democratic city-state where the head of state rules for life. Balic's Sorcerer-King ran for election, won, then made himself immortal using magic. Rather than ban democracy outright, he allows it to continue in a farcical manner. Nobles are elected from the populace and serve terms. Those who oppose the Sorcerer-King of Balic tend to disappear. In a rather Nyr-like fashion, when people complain about the way the city-state is run, Balic's Sorcerer-King informs them that he was elected by their ancestors and that he allows them to elect Nobles if they truly feel that change is necessary.
Why it would work for Roleplay: Just like Gulg, the political environment would be a sharp contrast to brutal and blunt Allanak. Balic's Nobility is somewhat reminiscent of the way that the Byn chooses Sargents: chosen internally before staff does a role call. Those Nobles, chosen by the players, would navigate the demands of the staff-appointed Templars, the desires of the PCs who chose them, and the goals of rival Nobles chosen by players from other sections of the city. Do I really need to explain why this dynamic would provide roleplay for players of all stripes within the city?
Even if a noble disappears, there's no guarantee that it was the Templars who did it. It maybe a rival faction. Players within that faction may investigate the who and why to determine if another faction is screwing them over, or if their noble really did piss off the Templars. Roleplay is generated even in the event of a disappearance, and the disappearances themselves could be used by various player factions to further their agenda. EG, you could plant evidence using thieves/burglars that suggests a certain noble is acting against the Templars.
Why it doesn't work for Tuluk: In Balic, elected Nobles disappear for not obeying the Templars. In Tuluk, grebbers and hunters disappear for not properly worshiping Utep Sun King in their thoughts or background. No one cares about the latter because commoners disappear every single day by dying in the wilderness, storing due to boredom, or general inactivity. It goes completely unnoticed. No RP is generated because you never find out. If, somehow, you do find out, you can only act on that information if you leave Tuluk, otherwise you disappear too. It's entirely self-defeating.
As a result, the net impact of Balic on Tuluk is that those frolicking bards and skill twinks have nothing meaningful to put their efforts toward. Therefore they throw parties.
On Raam
Last is the city state of Raam whose theme is Rebellion, Anarchy, or Upheaval.
Raam is a caste-based society. A caste system is a hierarchical order of rigid social stratification. People from different castes do not eat together, they do not drink together, they do not intermarry, they are not friends, etc. With few exceptions they are born and die in the same caste. Castes are almost always based around profession and role in society.
Raam is also a city-state with no leader. When the Sorcerer-Queen was killed, the city fell into anarchy as factions formed to fill the power vacuum. Petty warlords claim small areas until someone stronger wipes them out. The Night Runners, a tribe of elves, sell their 'shadow arts' of espionage and assassination to various factions competing for the city. Meanwhile, they expand their own territory with the goal of making Raam the first Elven City in centuries.
Why it would work for Roleplay: Raam's caste system doesn't exist to be experienced, it exists to be fought against. Citizens may never again see another chance to rise above their station, and certainly never as high. There are abundant potential plotlines in the form of marginalized groups fighting for power, entitled groups fighting to keep power, and external groups fighting to siphon power amid the chaos. All of these are in complementary to the typical Arm roles of grebber trying to get by, spice-addled pickpocket, hunter with a heart of gold, etc.
Why it doesn't work for Tuluk: Not only does Tuluk implement the Caste system for the wrong reasons, it implements it incorrectly. Tuluk has three PC castes: Non-inked, citizens, and nobles/templars. Nobles/templars are role-call only and non-inked generally don't stay in the city for long. Worse yet, because of the egalitarian Chosen theme Tuluk borrows from Gulg, the nobles eat/drink with commoners. These factors render any conflict caused by the caste system impotent. There's very little to rebel against and no way of doing so. Worst yet, if you make up something to rebel over, you just get disappeared by the all-knowing Templars. Which means there's practically no use for Shadow Arts, either, except over petty nonsense.
As a result, the net impact of Raam on Tuluk is that frolicking bards hire the skill twinks to kill people who spoke poorly of the parties they threw.
On Allanak, and a Summary
Allanak has a single, straightforward theme: Brutality. It is hot and sandy, the wilderness is deadly, food is scarce, corruption is rampant, riots are frequent, and executions are messy public affairs. Everything about 'nak plays into the theme of Brutality, except for the relative ease of the upper classes. But those roles are heavily restricted to players and largely exist as a reminder of how brutal Allanak is for common folk. Often, they are the source of that cruelty.
Brutality is quintessential Dark Sun, and this is why Allanak is the core of Armageddon.
Tuluk attempts to combine three city-state themes that are as close to opposites as you can get: Reverence, Politics, and Rebellion. In doing so it creates a King and City-State with no true identity. It is simply a number of components that barely function together. Players who pursue any one thread eventually find themselves tangled and knotted where the themes come together, with nothing left to pursue, or cut short long before they reach that point.
All you're left with is a twink's paradise, Prom Night popularity contest roleplay, and a ton of unmet potential.
